The Lincoln Squirrel – News, features and photos from Lincoln, Mass.

community center*

My Turn: Vote “yes” on HCA zoning and “no” on community center

By Ken Hurd

With apologies to all those who have worked to bring a new community center to Lincoln, I once again feel compelled to voice my strongly held opinion as an architect concerned with what we build in Lincoln, and I want to remind everyone why I and so many others believe we should not build a community center on the school campus. I still believe the Council on Aging component should be located in Lincoln Station and let the LEAP and the Recreation Department be located at the school.  

First and foremost, I believe that a $25 million investment by the town should be deployed where it would have the greatest positive impact — namely in the Lincoln Station area. For nearly 14 years since Town Meeting approved the Comprehensive Long-Range Plan, in which the revitalization of Lincoln Station was overwhelmingly one of the highest priorities, the area has lain dormant and in serious need of a catalyst to jumpstart its transformation into the compact, vital, walkable village center that was a stated goal at the time. Unless Lincoln is proactive in embracing change, the area will continue to decline.

Equally important, I believe that many of the decisions and commitments that led to the current community center proposal were well-intended but somewhat myopic, and to make matters worse, they now predate the new realities of post-pandemic life in the 21st century. Chief among these is our increased awareness of the effects of climate change as warmer winters, hotter summers, and earlier springs dominate our lived experience, suggesting that anything we can do to minimize our dependence on the automobile should be a very high priority.

I also never bought into the idea that mixing octogenarian driving skills with children on a playing field was anything but an accident waiting to happen. And in the new age of the AR-15, I would remind everyone that school shooting incidents in the U.S. have skyrocketed since 2015. In 2023 alone, there were 198 shooting incidents at K-12 schools, six of which involved active shooters. Of course, everyone believes it won’t happen here, just as everyone believed it wouldn’t happen when and where the shootings did occur. Why we would even consider locating an adult facility on a school campus in such an era of random and unpredictable violence is beyond me.

From a planning standpoint, the economic disruption caused by the pandemic combined with the dramatic increase in wealth inequality over the last decade has put increased pressure on the need for more housing in the region. For economic reasons, many seniors who might want to downsize are somewhat locked into staying in their larger homes until there are reasonable housing alternatives from which to choose. Thanks to the HCA, we are bound to see at least some increase in housing in the Lincoln Station area, and most professional planners I know would consider this a golden opportunity to locate the COA in the middle of such a potential concentration of housing. Doing so would not only create a symbiotic relationship among the multiple uses desired, but also between the primary users and the facility should the right mix and size of units be offered.  

Lastly, we learned at the recent informational session on March 7 that the current proposed zoning regulations for the HCA overlay district contain no language that would prohibit such a use. We also learned that the RLF has never been asked by the town if they would be amenable to incorporating the needed COA spaces into any development they do.

Frankly, if the COA component of the community center were incorporated in the RLF’s plan for redevelopment, it would represent a plus to any potential developer’s pro forma — namely, to have a confirmed tenant for an active community use in a purposely designed ground-level space. This strategy would minimize the cost to Lincoln in upfront financing for design and construction, and it would replace public project inefficiencies with professional development expertise. Doing so may make the new community center facility far more affordable to the town’s already stressed taxpayers. 

So, my hope is that voters will vote YES for Article 3 and vote NO on Article 4.That way, I believe it opens a door for the RLF and the town to work together on an overall masterplan that addresses many of these larger issues in a much more holistic fashion, ultimately helping to transform Lincoln Station to its full potential as a truly vital, walkable village center. Remember, we humans shape our environments at a moment in time, and then they shape us for decades to come.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: An explanation of the ballot vote on community center

By Lynne Smith

At Town Meeting on March 23, the Community Center Building Committee will present slides illustrating a new building proposed to house the Council on Aging & Human Services, the Parks and Recreation Department, and the LEAP after-school program. While the renderings of any new building are always exciting to preview, I caution you not to get too excited. 

At $24 million, the building is expensive. I recently received my paper ballot and looked at the March 25 election question we will vote on if the community center vote passes at Town Meeting. Here is what it says:

Question 1:

Shall the Town of Lincoln be allowed to exempt from the provisions of Proposition Two-and-One-half, so-called, the amounts required to pay for the bonds issued for the purpose of paying the costs of designing, renovating, rebuilding, constructing, equipping, and furnishing a new Community Center to be located in the Hartwell Complex of the Ballfield Road school campus, Lincoln MA, including payment of costs incidental or related thereto?

Yes___      No____

The language baffled me: it did not mention the $24 million cost and it seemed to suggest a tax increase was somehow “exempt”! 

As I read the warrant prepared for Town Meeting by the Finance Committee and discussed it with my husband, we came up with this explanation:

  • Proposition 2½ limits the amount our tax levy can increase each year (2.5%) without requiring an override with a supermajority of voters.
  • But the law provides for so-called “exclusions” for capital or debt to allow residents to vote for one-time projects that are outside (above and beyond) of the Prop 2½ levy limit. 
  • Those exclusions require a supermajority vote at Town Meeting (March 23), as well as a simple majority at the ballot box (March 25).

So residents voting yes on this ballot measure are permitting a one-time exemption (exclusion) from the 2.5% annual levy limit increase imposed by Prop 2½. The fact is, this one-time exclusion will result in taxes over the next 30 or so years during which the bond is repaid. The $94 million school was also a one-time exclusion. We aren’t calling it an override even though it will increase our taxes and draw down our stabilization fund. Instead, it is an exclusion.

But wait, there’s more!

To minimize a residential tax increase for the community center, the Finance Committee recommends using $2 million of tree cash that would otherwise go to our stabilization fund plus $4.75 million from the current stabilization fund balance (see the bottom of page 2 of the warrant book.)

In total, $6.75 million from saved taxes will be used to fund the community center. The stabilization fund is used for unplanned but necessary expenses and the so-called free cash comes from the 2.5% tax increase that Lincoln residents pay every year, whether or not the budget requires it. We are paying it forward! Despite raiding both the free cash and stabilization funds, the cost of the debt for a new community center building will increase our taxes substantially.

While I appreciate the efforts of the Finance Committee to fund all the projects we ask for, I am definitely voting no at Town Meeting and on the paper ballot on March 25. I would rather use our stabilization fund to adapt existing buildings for new uses, not demolish serviceable ones.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

My Turn: Vote yes for the community center on Saturday

By Rhonda Swain

Why should you vote in favor of the proposed new Community Center at Lincoln’s upcoming Town Meeting? We on the board of the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging (FLCOA) consider these to be compelling arguments in support of the proposal:

  • The community center will be available to everyone in Lincoln, from children to seniors. It will be a welcoming place to find community, whether you are a longtime resident or a newcomer to town.
  • The space envisioned for the community center has been designed specifically to meet the needs of the Council on Aging and Human Services (COA&HS), the Lincoln Extended-Day Activities Program (LEAP), and the Parks and Recreation Department. By providing a new facility, thoughtfully designed, we allow the staff of each of these organizations to do their best work.
  • In addition to providing programming and office space for the COA&HS, LEAP, and Parks and Rec, the community center will be a place for many other town organizations (Girl and Boy Scouts, Garden Club, Lincoln Family Association, etc.) to meet both formally and informally, affording opportunities for intergenerational activities that are much more difficult without a common meeting space.
  • Building a new community center to replace the pods that have served us well beyond their intended useful lives will complete the renovation of the school campus, which is a centerpiece of the life of the town, by adding a state-of-the-art, energy-efficient community center to our state- of-the-art school building. This investment would be in keeping with the environmentally conscious and future-oriented thinking that has been a hallmark of Lincoln throughout its history.

The board of the FLCOA has voted to show our commitment to the new community center by making a contribution. Over the past 40 years, generous donors have entrusted us with gifts and bequests which we have managed prudently. We feel fortunate now to be able to donate $1 million to the community center project. We will also continue to work with the community center funding group to raise additional private funds for the project.

Please join us in seizing this opportunity to build a community center that will be a source of pride for the town of Lincoln — not just for those of us here today who hope to enjoy it, but for generations to come.

“My Turn” is a forum for readers to offer their letters to the editor or views on any subject of interest to other Lincolnites. Submissions must be signed with the writer’s name and street address and sent via email to lincolnsquirrelnews@gmail.com. Items will be edited for punctuation, spelling, style, etc., and will be published at the discretion of the editor. Submissions containing personal attacks, errors of fact, or other inappropriate material will not be published.

Opening statements by candidates at PTO forum

Here are the prewritten opening statements (in alphabetical order) that the four candidates made at the Lincoln PTO candidate forum on March 12. Click here to read more about the forum.

Frank Clark

Select Board challenger

I’m running because the town deserves a choice between the divisive path we’re currently on and a more moderate, and more inclusive way forward.

Our town seems to have lost its sense of balance. We are a very small town, and I worry that our aspirations are beyond what we can realistically accomplish without permanently damaging the character of the town and the social fabric of the town. I believe the majority of the town’s residents just want to know that the town’s essential character will be preserved & public money is spent carefully. We have to recognize that our rapidly rising taxes are pushing people out of town.

Among all Massachusetts towns, Lincoln has one of the highest long-term debt loads, about $40,000 per household. Add the community center and our debt will rise to about $50,000 per household and we might be #1 in the Commonwealth. We have other projects waiting in the wings and we’ve fallen behind on essentials such as road maintenance.

We have lost a sense of moderation… we borrowed $90 million to renovate our school because we didn’t want to wait for state aid. And now, We’re heading towards approval of the most expensive option for the community center. And the HCA rezoning promoted by town leadership goes far beyond what’s required by the State, and we haven’t done the analysis to be sure we can handle the large increase in population that will result.

On this issue, the Planning Board is split and the Select Board is wavering. And the town is very polarized. I’m preaching for unity, and that won’t happen with a 55/45 vote at Town Meeting. We can come together but we need consensus, not a winner-take-all attitude.

Town leaders cannot take refuge by saying “we’re just doing what Town Meeting wants.” We look to the Select Board and Planning Board for leadership and the town is heavily influenced by their recommendations and by the subcommittees they appoint. But we’re not being given the balanced, objective information we need to make wise decisions about big projects. The subcommittees that do the research for big projects become invested in an outcome and they rarely give us “both sides of the story.” It is disingenuous for town leaders to now say ‘we’re just following orders’ from Town Meeting.

I believe we need new leadership to get us back on track.

Jennifer Glass

Select Board incumbent

I moved to Lincoln with my family at the end of 2006. Many things drew us to the community: Its conservation land; the school system, the modernist deck houses; and it’s on the commuter rail, which has always been a prerequisite for choosing a place to live.

In 2007, the School Committee was looking for volunteers to serve on its Class Size Policy Subcommittee. As a former Kindergarten teacher, I thought this would be an interesting way to bring my experience to our new community. It was a great experience, and our group hammered out a policy that focused on what was best for our children while being fiscally responsible to the town. It also began my interest in tackling complex, emotional, and controversial topics.

I ran for School Committee in 2008 and served for 9 years, 7 of them as Chair, and in 2017, a friend encouraged me to run for the Select Board. For the past seven years on the Select Board, I have focused on building community, holistic planning, and finding creative ways to ensure community voice in our decision-making. That has played out in a number of ways:

  • We are sitting in one of them. As part of the School Committee and School Building Committee, I helped build community consensus to get this school renovated.
  • I have worked extensively with the Green Energy Committee and helped shape Lincoln’s new Climate Action Plan.
  • I helped establish and now co-chair the Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, & Antiracism Committee.
  • I worked with my colleagues to recognize Juneteenth and Pride Month, listened to the 3rd graders who thought we should recognize Indigenous Peoples’ Day.
  • I helped craft a new property tax abatement program for income-eligible seniors.
  • I am a member of the Affordable Housing Trust.
  • And I am, of course, part of the Housing Choice Act Working Group.
  • For fun, I’ve been editor in chief of the Select Board newsletter, have learned how to set up hybrid Zoom meetings, and organized the December 2020 scavenger hunt on Lincoln’s amazing trail network.

I love working with all of you to serve our town, and I respectfully ask for your support to continue to do so.

Sarah Postlethwait

Planning Board challenger

You may be able to tell that I don’t like public speaking and this is definitely not inside of my comfort zone, but I feel the current issues facing our town are far too important to sit on the sidelines and just hope for the best.

I am extremely invested in a successful South Lincoln rezoning, as this is the place my family calls home. I deeply care about ensuring more housing is built — especially more affordable housing, while also protecting the rural character of our town and ensuring that our commercial center is able to thrive. I may not have a formal background in development — but I am unprejudiced, versatile, and eager to learn. I am dedicated to looking out for the best interest of the town and our stated goals- safeguarding what we have achieved in the past, while at the same time adapting for the needs of the future.

I have grown increasingly concerned, as with many other of my fellow residents, with Lincoln’s chosen path to comply with the state mandated Housing Choice Act, and its proposed bylaws. I have dedicated countless hours to researching the law, its guidelines, its compliance model — every detail around it. I have studied several other town’s HCA bylaws to see how our own bylaws can be improved.

I feel we can do better. And we have plenty of time to do better! But instead of being the squeaky wheel, I’ve decided to be a part of the change and to run for a seat on the planning board.

Lincoln’s current Housing Choice Act proposal is rezoning 71% more land than is required by the state. The multifamily developments that are being permitted on these acres can be built by right. This means as long as a developer follows the set of rules established in our town’s bylaws, they can build the maximum allowed, and the town has no right to deny that development. It’s imperative the HCA proposal and bylaws that we pass align with the vision we see for our town. I feel what is being submitted for town meeting vote in a couple weeks does not.

Our HCA proposal puts our commercial center at risk. It is seriously lacking in environmental protections for all 72 acres of rezoned land. It does not limit negative impacts on the resources and residents in the rezoned area. We are the stewards of this land. We are the ones who should be safeguarding it. If we are going to rezone it for multifamily developments, the least we can do is ensure that the bylaws are written in a way that reasonably minimizes the negative environmental impact of development.

I firmly believe that the current proposed path towards HCA compliance has major flaws that could significantly change the landscape of the town that we all know and love. But I am hopeful we can all sit down at a table, find common ground, and come up with a path towards HCA compliance that will gain significant support, fully comply with the regulations of the law, and protect the values that are important to this town.

Thank you for considering voting for me for planning board, and I hope that my focus on critical thinking, thoroughly researched planning and inclusive dialogue will bring value to Lincoln and win your vote.

Gary Taylor

Planning Board incumbent

Most residents encounter the Planning Board when seeking to remodel or build a home. Through Site Plan review we guide development in ways that respect Lincoln’s values and protect abutters and the environment. Since I joined the board, we’ve made this process more user-friendly and less time-consuming for everyone, allowing us to spend more time planning.

The board regularly proposes changes to Lincoln’s bylaws to address state requirements and local land use and environmental issues. Recent examples are the liberalization of the accessory apartment bylaw and adoption of the 2023 opt-in stretch energy code to improve energy efficiency.

Now we face the Housing Choice Act mandate for zoning allowing “by right” multi-family housing near our metro rail station. How should we respond? After decades of concern over the viability of the mall and years of study about how to address Lincoln’s housing needs, five options were presented to voters at December’s Special Town Meeting, and Option C focusing housing in the mall area was selected.

I hope the coming Town Meeting votes “yes” on Article 3 (zoning implementing Option C). Whether or not is passes now, I shall honor Town Meeting’s decision, and my professional expertise and town experience will be of value in helping Lincoln through this process. I have learned how to bring people together and get things done.

I’m particularly proud of my role in the addition of over 100 units of affordable housing units in Lincoln. These include 30 at The Commons, one of the first senior living facilities with affordable units, and 60 at Oriole Landing that protect Lincoln for decades from the threat of 40B development, which — unlike the HCA — would circumvent Lincoln zoning entirely.

Lincoln has in the past strived successfully to strike a balance between preserving its shared values and responding as needed to change affecting our town and the world around us. I hope that we can continue to thread that needle effectively. I ask not only for your vote, but as well for your participation in the continuing dialogue that will shape Lincoln’s future.

Community center group sees final sketches

(Editor’s note: this article was corrected on March 15 to correct the estimated construction start and completion dates.)

ICON Architects previewed its Town Meeting presentation on March 13 to the the Community Center Building Committee. Residents will vote on whether t0 approve spending $24 million for its construction at Town Meeting on March 23, where a two-thirds majority is required for passage, and again at the ballot box on March 25, which requires only a simple majority.

If voters approve, construction could begin in mid-2025 and be completed by fall 2026, ICON’s Mark McKevitz said.

Click on an image below for a larger version and arrows to advance and go back.

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Select Board issues positions on community center and HCA rezoning

(Editor’s note: This article was amended on March 10 to clarify that the Select Board did not explicitly endorse Article 3 even as it supported compliance with the Housing Choice Act.)

The Select Board has endorsed both the community center project but took a more nuanced approach in its stand on a Housing Choice Act-compliant zoning district — measures that will be debated and voted on at the start of Town Meeting on March 23.

In a statement at their March 4 meeting, the board noted the previously cited justifications for a community center, including the deteriorating condition of the Hartwell pods for the Parks and Recreation Department and the inadequacies of Bemis Hall for the Council on Aging & Human Services, adding that renovating all of them would cost about $14.4 million compared to $24 million for new construction. ICON Architects estimates that construction costs will continue to rise by about 7% a year for the next several years, they added.

Operating costs for a new building have yet to be determined, though the Community Center Building Committee outlined the cost drivers in a March 6 statement. A grant from the Ogden Codman Trust as well as funds contributed and raised by the Friends of the Council on Aging will offset at least $1.5 million of the cost.

The CCBC will hold a forum on the final design concept and cost estimates on Wednesday, March 13 at 7 p.m. The agenda contains the Zoom link.

Housing Choice Act

At the same March 4 meeting, the Select Board also declared support for “the adoption of a Housing Choice Act-compliant zoning district” without specifically supporting Article 3, which asks voters to approve the amended zoning bylaw drawn up by the Planning Board and HCAWG.

Though there’s general agreement that the town should comply with the state law, there has been a great deal of controversy about exactly how to do so. In a second statement on March 4, the Selects said the process “gave residents voice and choice and allowed them to shape the direction and substance of the zoning bylaw.” But members of Lincoln Residents of Housing Alternatives have said that their alternative was not given equal time at the Special Town Meeting on December, when Option C was chosen. Opponents want residents to vote down the bylaw that’s based on that option, which would concentrate all new multifamily housing in South Lincoln, and draw up a different amendment that would allow multifamily housing in other parts of town as well.

The Selects allowed for the possibility of a “no” vote. If the HCA measure isn’t passed by voters, “the Select Board is committed to bringing all interested residents together to forge a compromise to be voted on at a Special Town Meeting before the end of the year,” their statement says.

The stance echoed that of Planning Board Chair Margaret Olson. “If the town has changed its mind, the town will tell us no by voting no. I don’t think any of us should be upset by that prospect. If it’s not approved, that’s OK — that’s part of the process,” she said at the board’s February 20 public hearing on the bylaw.

The town originally scheduled the Town Meeting vote for this month to allow time for the state to vet the amended bylaw for HCA compliance and for the town to make any necessary adjustments before the December 2024 deadline. If voters delay approval until fall, the state presumably won’t have time to review and give its final thumbs-up before the clock runs out, but they haven’t said whether they might be flexible about the deadline if they aren’t able to sign off in time.

In the March 4 discussion, Select Board member Kim Bodnar emphasized the “magnitude of what we’re asking of residents… It really matters to the town we are and the town we might become. This has required the town to think about about who they are, questioning their values. It’s been very tough.”

Ogden Codman Trust pledges $500K for community center

The Ogden Codman Trust has pledged $500,000 to help defray the cost of the community center, which is estimated at $24 million.

The trust, which began making grants for Lincoln facilities and projects in 1972, helped pay for the town pool years ago. It has distributed an average of about $200,000 in grants and loans annually in recent years. The largest single grant in the past three years was $95,000 to historic New England for repairs at the Codman Estate in 2021, and most grants are in the range of $10,000 to $25,000, so this is by far the largest grant that the trust has made in some time.

“We are deeply appreciative of your generosity, and the timing of your gift couldn’t be better,” said Community Center Building Committee Chair Sarah Chester said at the February 5 Select Board meeting when the gift was announced.

The grant will be paid in five installments starting with $350,000 in the first year and the subsequent installments over the following three-year period, Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. “Hopefully this will help power the fundraising effort that’s going on and leverage some additional generosity,” he said.

“We’re grateful to have the opportunity to participate in this really exciting project,” Ogden Codman trustee Susan Monahan said. She praised “the work that’s gone into documenting and making the [planning] accessible and transparent… we wish you the best in pulling in some additional funds in support of that.”

A group of residents has launched a fundraising effort targeting individuals, corporations and other organizations. Together with funds from the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging (FLCOA), which has promised to match every donation dollar for dollar up to $1 million, the group hopes to raise several million dollars. 

Most of the project will be paid for through bonding, but the segment of the building for LEAP (a private entity) can’t be paid for through tax-advantaged municipal bonds, so other sources of funding will be needed. Residents will vote on a bonding amount at Town Meeting next month.

“We hope the March votes goes the right way, though you’ve given us every reason to be optimistic,” Monahan said.

Architects show floor plan, exterior alternatives for community center

Architects on January 17 revealed the latest floor plan as well as images of two possible design directions for the community center (both for the same price) — one with a flat roof and one with sloped rooflines (see pictures below).

The Community Center Building Committee was split on which direction they prefer, so they’ll probably choose one when they meet next week. ICON Architects needs clear direction soon because their cost estimator has a January 30 deadline for getting the latest information. 

The sloped-roof concept with clerestory windows echoes the “New England saltbox” look of the renovated school across campus, while an architecturally simpler flat roof would have room for more solar panels (17,200 square feet vs. 11,000 square feet).

CCBC members were generally enthusiastic about the latest plans, though some were concerned about the reduction in size of the LEAP play area. The Magic Garden play area on the north side of the site will also be removed, but the CCBC plans to build a new playground on the former Strat’s Place site between Hartwell and Lincoln Road. Although it’s not in the community center budget, “we are working out funding for that” and will work with Magic Garden to coordinate the timing, CCNC chair Sarah Chester said.

There were also reservations about the appearance of the south-facing “light chimneys” in the sloped-roof scheme that would provide indirect natural light to the interior. Ned Collier of ICON said he would show alternative looks at a future meeting.

The CCBC will hold meetings and forums on the following dates (all are in hybrid format and start at 7 p.m.  in the Town Hall’s Donaldson Room):

  • January 24 — CCBC meeting
  • February 7 — CCBC meeting
  • February 15 — Forum on cost estimates
  • February 28 — CCBC meeting
  • March 13 — Forum for FINAL conceptual design
  • March 20 — CCBC meeting
  • March 23 — Annual Town Meeting
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Efforts underway to reduce community center borrowing by several million dollars

A group of residents has kicked off a fund-raising effort to help lessen the impact of community center construction on property tax bills and hopes to get several million dollars in pledges before the Town Meeting funding vote on March 23.

The Town Meeting motion, which hasn’t been drawn up yet, will include a request for a specific bonding amount that will be affected partly by what other sources can be tapped to pay for the building. Residents authorized design of a community center at 100% of the cost of an earlier estimate (about $24 million) at a Special Town Meeting in December 2023. 

The group is applying for grants from corporations and other organizations as well as donations from “Lincoln individuals and organizations that are well established,” Peter Von Mertens told the Select Board on January 8. An upcoming townwide mailing will offer naming rights for at least 16 parts of the building in return for donations at various levels.

Von Mertens is a member of the Council on Aging & Human Services (COA&HS). Its affiliated private nonprofit, the Friends of the Lincoln Council on Aging (FLCOA), has promised to match every community center donation dollar for dollar, he said, adding that the fundraising effort hopes to reduce the project cost “virtually down to [the 75% option]” by raising $2 million to $5 million.

The FLCOA’s latest tax statement shows it has $1.73 million in assets and no liabilities. Some of its funds have been restricted by donors to specific activities such as field trips or speakers, Von Mertens told the Lincoln Squirrel, “but we do have $1 million in the bank and hope to give it all to help support the community center.”

“This will help residents’ attitude toward the project [as] cost has been a big factor in people’s thinking,” said Jim Hutchinson of the Select Board, which endorsed the fundraising effort. Anyone interested in making a tax-deductible donation should contact Von Mertens (petervonmertens@gmail.com) or COA&HS Chair Dilla Tingley (dillatingley@gmail.com).

Also in the mix is the Ogden Codman Trust, which helped pay for the town pool several years ago and has distributed an average of about $200,000 in grants and loans annually in recent years for various projects and causes in Lincoln. In 2022, it provided grants ranging from $1,818 to $95,000 to the St. Vincent de Paul Society – St. Joseph Conference (which runs the town’s food pantry), the Parks and Recreation Department, Codman Community Farms, Mass Audubon, Farrington Nature Linc, Historic New England, and the Town of Lincoln.

Town officials have “opened conversations” with the Ogden Codman Trust and “they were very excited to get involved in the [community center] project — they loved the idea of participating,” Town Administrator Tim Higgins said. Details such as the structure of a possible grant (a one-time amount or spread over several years) and specific dollar figures have not yet been discussed, he added. 

“The Trust has had a very preliminary discussion with the town regarding a potential grant to help fund the town’s proposed community center,” trustee Susan Monahan confirmed. “The Trust will not provide any further information regarding subsequent discussions, but rather will look to the Town to provide any such further information as appropriate.”

In the upcoming town budget, the Finance Committee may also recommend applying a certain amount of the town’s stabilization fund to help pay for the project. Voters approved adding $1.44 million to the fund a year ago.

Residents share their thoughts about marathon Town Meeting

At the December 2 Special Town Meeting, voters approved the 100% option for the proposed community center, Option C for HCA rezoning, and “yes” for allowing expansion at The Commons in Lincoln. Since the Lincoln Squirrel was unable to cover the meeting, we invited residents to share their impressions afterwards. Following is an edited sample of the responses.

“Nothing like coming together in person”

LincolnTalk has dominated the airwaves with data, opinions, and wishes before [Saturday’s] Even with so much information at our fingertips, time and time again, there is absolutely nothing like coming together in person with our neighbors, to legislate our town’s future, to truly listen and discern. We meet new people and find common ground (or not), but we all take away something new, every single time, from the experience… As Bob Domnitz said [Saturday], we might have appreciated some healthy food and a break, but seeing friends and talking was a different kind of nourishment for many.

We are a small town, certainly wonderful but also imperfect. For some who find Lincoln too precious or frustrating or suffocating, myself included, it occasionally requires leaving town to regain a healthy perspective. Folks then come home and cruise down Bedford Road to the five corners to marvel at all that is here, and how we imperfectly but in good faith hold each other up.

— Nancy Marshall

Someone left this personalized copy of a page from Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are among the papers on the podium of Town Moderator Sarah Cannon Holden. “It gave me a big laugh after our robust meeting,” she said.

Of cold waffles and worries about rezoning

We are already joking that we will long remember the “cold waffles” Town Meeting. A resident of The Commons got up and complained that expansion there did not make sense since they are having trouble hiring enough help as it is, and he even had to endure cold waffles for breakfast. He went on a bit too long, and Sarah Holden tried to shut him down, telling him that his two minutes were up, but he just kept rambling on. The result was the whole auditorium erupted into laughter and he couldn’t talk over that!

Regarding the HCA vote: the Option E supporters were concerned about the ominous mentions of a clause allowing a developer to pay a fee in lieu of providing affordable housing, and apparently it seems the Planning Board might be willing to allow four-story buildings. Also the inclusion of the commuter parking lot as a building site with no evident replacement parking for commuters made people nervous. Also a parking garage in front of Donelan’s… There were plenty of reasons to give pause to worriers.

But the Planning Board had the public’s support and the vote was resoundingly in favor of Option C. It shows the citizens of Lincoln have a good amount of trust in our town committees.

— Diana Smith

A new sense of what the majority wants

I originate from New York/New Jersey, where I never heard of decisions being made in town meetings, but I have learned living in Lincoln over the past decade that this turns out to be an amazing albeit not perfect democratic process. In my several years on the Planning Board, I have never seen such controversy as what culminated in [Saturday’s] all-day meeting. Yet I thought it was handled very well. A grassroots organization of residents who care deeply about the future of this town was allowed to speak up and produce an alternative to the town’s [Housing Choice Act Working Group] response, and indeed that alternative proposal received at least one-third of the total vote. I have urged the leadership of that group to participate in our town process by now running for offices in the next election.

While my personal choices may not have been the ones selected, I still feel good, because I have a new sense of what the majority of people in the town want to see happen. As a member of the Planning Board and the board’s representative on the Community Center Building Committee, I will continue to listen to residents who speak up and work towards maintaining Lincoln as the special town we all moved to, and yet bring it further into the future. I believe that the Planning Board, with input from residents, can craft a good amended bylaw that will add more housing that is affordable near the train station and still be a viable center for commercial activity, green space, and gathering with neighbors and friends.

We have a lot of work to do between now and March, but we will do it!

— Lynn DeLisi

It’s high time for a voting tabulation system

(Editor’s note: the following is a copy of a letter that Kanner sent to the Select Board, Town Administrator, and Town Clerk).

Saturday’s Special Town Meeting seemed to me to be a success in hearing out a wide variety of our townsfolk on the three major issues presented, but it was also a catastrophic failure in its voting process. I believe Lincoln’s archaic, amazingly inefficient, and seemingly interminable process of simply taking a vote and tabulating the results, which process I estimate occupied about three hours of the eight hours or so of the meeting, threatens the survival of Town Meeting as a viable and representative method of governance. We have to do better.

Someone in town government must be looking into vote tabulator systems. As a citizen, though, I have heard no mention of any such investigation, so on Saturday night I did a quick Internet search. On the first try up comes a list of multiple companies that provide vote tabulation systems to towns for such events as town meetings. In fact, the town of Westford posted the results of their 2022 inquiry into its evaluation of such systems and concluded that the Meridia system was the best. They indicated that their town and 30 others (!) in Massachusetts are now using this system, and another 30 towns use other systems. The Meridia system is also used by the U.S. House of Representatives.

I also did the obvious arithmetic, which would be to ask how much a system that included 800 handheld voting units (to cover our massive turnout on Saturday). That would be about $25,000 or so all in. Think on that. We had 800 people sitting around for about three hours each while vote tabulations were done on Saturday. That’s 2,400 or so hours of citizens’ time, wasted. How would you value their wasted time?

I urge you to promptly look into such voting systems with the intent to have one in effect for the March town meetings. Too many people were wandering around, waiting and complaining, during the tabulation delays. The “Lincoln way” doesn’t need to be interminable voting and tabulation that wears everyone out and often overshadows the actual lively and substantive discussions that are the purpose of the meetings. Please, let’s get moving promptly with a goal to have a vetted system in place by March. 

— Steven R. Kanner

Discussion was “mostly substantive and hearteningly civil”

I thought the discussion at all stages was mostly substantive and hearteningly civil compared to some snarky and/or obsessively repetitive LincolnTalk posts in the runup, especially about the HCA. Motions to cut off debate on all issues were well-timed; each passed by huge majorities (another sign of order being maintained). Yes, there were messy moments, but overall it was a good example of how democracy should work.

— Larry Buell

Some unanswered questions

  • Why was Choice E not described on the ballot?
  • Who paid for the lawn signs advocating Choice C and disparaging Choice E?
  • Why didn’t FinCom articulate anticipated upcoming capital expenditures?
  • Why not disclose that town operating expenses are growing faster than 2.5% and how a new $25 million building will affect those rising expenses?
  • Why couldn’t attendees vote their ballots once received? If there were changes to the questions, would the town reprint the ballots?
  • Why not survey all taxpayers as to preferences rather than rely on attendance on a Saturday?
  • If the HCAWG wanted Option C, were the other choices actually red herrings?
  • Why are longtime Lincoln stewards Sara Mattes and Ken Hurd ignored?
  • Why do people make statements during the question period?
  • Why does it feel like taxpayers are railroaded at Town Meetings by well-organized and funded insiders?

— Chris Burns

Another point of view

He got a ride! He took the van, from somewhat far away. Next, he checked in, walked down the hall, then sat there half the day.

He listened to the formal talks; stood up, when it was time. It took a bit of fortitude to stand there in the line.

His turn had come! This was his chance to stand up to the mike. And our chance, too, to hear him out, know what his life is like.

It was easy to feel antsy. His time was up, that’s true… Why not give him one more moment, see things from his point of view?

He put thought into his statement. (He’s an elder, with a name.) Its true meaning — did we miss it? Yet, “inclusion” we proclaim.

I’m sorry I’m not laughing, a wet blanket, but I’m sad. His vision dimmed, his hearing shot — that could have been my dad.

— Sarah Liepert

Lincoln Station is already the most densely populated area of town; is it fair to ask those residents to assume the entire burden of additional housing? Also, it is the most diverse: if one stands on Lincoln Road at the entrance to the mall, one can see the Lincoln Woods apartments, Ryan Estate (62+), the Ridge Court (“flying nun”) apartments, and at a slightly farther distance, Greenridge (where I live) and Todd Pond condominiums.

Each of these properties has its own architectural style, but somehow they all fit together into the character and ethos of Lincoln (and none of the buildings are taller than the trees!). They serve a diverse range of ages and income levels — a diversity which I believe that the town embraces. Although I realize that only a small fraction of Lincoln’s land area is being considered for rezoning, this is an important area – not only to those of us who live nearby but to everyone who passes through en route to or from their residences.

When I moved to Lincoln 30+ years ago, I did so on account of its semi-rural, small-town nature, its open space, farmland, conservation land, and trails. Let’s not compromise these aspects by granting carte blanche to a developer to build by right whatever he chooses. Any fraction of Lincoln’s unique character that we cede will be lost; we cannot, nor can future generations, get it back.

— June Matthews